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Sambar podi, or sambar powder, is a an important ingredient found in South Indian kitchens. It is prepared by roasting and grinding various types of Indian spices. You can probably find sambar powder pre-made in stores or Indian cuisine stores in many brands and variations of flavours. However, by making it at home, you can make smaller batches or large quantities of fresh-tasting sambar powder and also adjust ingredients of the powder according to your desired taste. Sambar powder is the main ingredient used to make sambar, a popular south Indian gravy. Sambar is normally eaten with rice, lentil donuts (vadas), rice cakes (idlis) and rice crepe (dosas).
Ingredients
Method 1:
- 400 g dried red chilli peppers
- 200 g dried coriander seeds
- 2 - 3 sprigs curry leaves
- 100 g fenugreek seeds
- 100 g channa dhal
- 50 g cumin seeds
- 50 g black peppercorn
- 5 g whole asafoetida or hing powder
Method 2:
- 400 g dried red chilli peppers
- 200 g coriander seeds
- 2 - 3 sprigs curry leaves
- 100 g fenugreek seeds
- 100 g channa dhal
- 50 g cumin seeds
- 50 g black peppercorn
- 5 g whole asafoetida or hing powder
Steps
Dry Roasting Sambar Powder
Dry roasting means heating up ingredients on a frying pan without oil. Making sambar powder by dry roasting is a quick way to create a more mild flavoured version of the powder.
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1Gather all the ingredients in separate bowls. It's important you are using dried red chilli peppers and dried coriander as opposed to fresh versions. If you dry roasted the fresh versions of these ingredients, the sambar powder would not be as spicy and make it more difficult to grind them into a fine powder.[1] X Research source Go to source
- You will be using each bowl to cool each ingredient after dry roasting. Alternatively, you can mix all your ingredients in a large bowl after roasting. However, it may take longer to cool if you mix all the ingredients together after dry roasting.
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2Dry roast each ingredient in a wok or pan on low heat. In general, you should dry roast each ingredient separately until fragrant or until it becomes slightly browned. Use a wooden spoon or spatula to keep the ingredients moving and prevent it from burning. Dry roasting times will vary depending on each ingredient.[2] X Research source Go to source
- If you are using dried hing, or asafoetida, powder, dry roast it for 2 minutes with the coriander seeds. If you are using whole asafoetida, save that ingredient for later and just dry roast the coriander seeds alone for 2 minutes.
- For dried red chilli peppers, cumin seeds, peppercorn, dry roast them each and separately for 2 minutes.
- Dry roast the fenugreek seeds for 5 minutes.
- For the channa dhal, dry roast it for 10 minutes.
- If you are dry roasting large quantities of each ingredient, dry roast them in batches.
- After dry roasting each ingredients, set them aside to cool.
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3Fry the whole piece of asafoetida and curry leaves separately in oil on low heat. Add a dash of cooking oil in your pan. Then fry the asafoetida for 2 to 3 minutes until it changes to a light yellowy colour. Remove the asafoetida. Then in the same oil, fry your curry leaves until they are dry and change into a dark, crisp colour.
- It's important you are using a whole piece of asafoetida when frying in oil and not the powder. The powder can be dry roasted with the coriander seeds.
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4Let your ingredients cool completely.[3] X Research source Go to source Cooling down the ingredients prevents wet lumps from forming during grinding. A good wait time would be about 15 to 20 minutes for everything to completely cool down.
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5Grind the ingredients together to make a fine powder. Grind everything in a food processor.[4] X Research source Go to source If you are making a large batch, you may need to grind everything in batches.
- Alternatively, you can bring your ingredients to a grinder mill or grinding store where they will have large machines to grind the ingredients for you.
Sun Drying Sambar Powder
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1Sun dry all ingredients in direct sunlight for 4 to 5 hours. Spread out your ingredients in newspaper-covered large pans such as a cookie sheet or table.[5] X Research source Go to source Put the ingredients in place in a place that is dry and under direct sunlight such as in front of a window.
- You will not need to dry the asafoetida.
- If you are using fresh red chilli peppers or fresh coriander seeds, you will need to dry these ingredients in advance for about a week.
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2Fry the whole piece of asafoetida in oil on low heat. Add a dash of cooking oil in your pan. Then fry the asafoetida for 2 to 3 minutes until it changes to a light yellowy colour. Remove the asafoetida from the pan.
- It's important that you are using a whole piece of asafoetida when frying in oil and not the powder. If you are using an asafoetida powder, you can add it directly into the sun dried ingredients during grinding.
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3Let your ingredients cool completely. Cooling down the ingredients prevents wet lumps from forming during grinding. A good wait time would be about 15 to 20 minutes for everything to completely cool down.
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4Grind the ingredients together to make a fine powder. Grind everything in a food processor. If you are making a large batch, you may need to grind everything in batches.[6] X Research source Go to source
- Alternatively, you can bring your ingredients to a grinder mill or grinding store where they will have large machines to grind the ingredients for you.
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5Finished.
Video
Tips
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Store your sambar powder in an airtight container for up to 5 months.[7] X Research source Go to source
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Adjustments to the ingredients can be made to suit individual taste. For instance, you can increase the quantity of red chillies to make your sambar powder more spicy.
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There are different variations to sambar powder. You can add additional ingredients like turmeric roots or seed, or toor dhal.
References
- ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fLaDrXhMzso
- ↑ https://www.indianhealthyrecipes.com/sambar-masala-powder-recipe/
- ↑ https://hebbarskitchen.com/homemade-sambar-powder-recipe/
- ↑ https://www.indianhealthyrecipes.com/sambar-masala-powder-recipe/
- ↑ http://www.chitrasfoodbook.com/2014/03/homemade-sambar-powder-recipesambar.html
- ↑ https://rakskitchen.net/sambar-powder-recipe-south-indian-sambar-powder/
- ↑ https://www.padhuskitchen.com/2009/08/recipe-for-sambar-powder-and-rasam.html
About this article
To make a mild version of sambar powder, dry roast each of your ingredients separately in a hot pan without any liquid or oil. The dried hing, coriander seeds, dried red chili peppers, cumin seeds, and peppercorn should all be dry roasted for 2 minutes each. Roast the fenugreek seeds for 5 minutes, and the channa dhal for 10 minutes. After you roast each ingredient, set it aside to cool. When everything has been roasted, fry the curry leaves in a little oil until they are dry, dark, and crisp. Once the curry leaves have cooled, place all of the ingredients in a food processor and grind them into a fine powder. Read on to learn how to sun-dry your sambar powder!
Reader Success Stories
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